Hadsen-Kuginari

A private corporation that almost created their own trap door in Japan before Project: LONG STAIR got wind and nipped it in the bud. The company has already patented and sold products derived from xenotech. They are among the sort of interested parties that keep Masarov's TRAP DOOR going, but intelligence is worried about them getting sanction through a medical subsidiary to have stable access to The Ladder.

Dr. Hadsen, CEO, is to be considered extremely dangerous, being seemingly in possession of a xenotech artifact that acts as proof against remote surveillance.

Hikaru Takahashi appears to be directly in control of Basement operations for H/K and has contacted individuals with unique talents for operations run via the Bucharest Ladder.

"So, you want to take on Hadsen-Kuginari? Well I can't say you are lacking in ambition. A Fortune Global 500 company in finance, construction, shipbuilding, energy, machine tools, medical supplies, consumer goods... Kuginari was one of the original zaibatsu back during the Empire of Japan days. They are still tight with the Diet even after the merger. Yeah, they merged with Hadsen A/S back in the '90s when the Japanese economy crashed.

They are all over the Japanese project of course. Not just as a contractor either, we suspect they were key in the creation of those robo-suits they wear. Of course that's not enough for H/K. They tried to create their own Gate back in '99. Got off with a stern warning on that one if you can believe it. Since then they've been running ops through the Ladder in Bucharest. They've got some economic reconstruction project they use as cover and with the pull they have in Brussels and Tokyo they get away with it.

Why? Same reason we are down here, looking for xenotech. Of course that's not enough for H/K. They take it back, reverse engineer it and sell it to the public. You know those Ginso knives? Super-sharp, never get dull? That's vorpal sword technology. Of course they're made out of ordinary steel and the fractal cutting edge is only a few hundred feet long, but same basic principle. Things cost $300 each and every chef and wannabe has a full set. They make even more selling the blades as machine tools and surgical scalpels. Same deal with the xenofauna. That's how they figured out those 'stalker suits' before we did. Those Powerstone batteries we use? H/K product. They studied the skin of those zap lizards and duplicated it.

Yeah, I know we got an agreement with the Euros and the Japs. The loophole is that we all agreed to cooperate on stopping "dangerous xenotechnology." H/K doesn't have a weapons division and they only sell stuff they manufacture upstairs. So none of this is technically dangerous or xenotechnology according to our allies. Us neither I'm guessing since we buy the stuff. Hasn't stopped the plumbers from trying to take H/K down, but without any luck. Their CEO may not sell Dungeon tech but he sure uses it. I heard a rumor the guy knocked a spy satellite out of the air just by looking at it."